“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
It all starts inside your head, and note that this is just the start of how you can be a powerful driver in your business and life. If you stay there is it like programming the GPS in your car and never leaving the driveway.
Why start inside?
It is an important place to start because your experiences, beliefs and thoughts are filters that everything must go through. There is no getting around this. You can minimize their impact by understanding and being aware of what they are and part of this awareness is knowing that you will never have the exact perspective or view of anyone else.
Where next?
Once you’ve gained the awareness of your own filters, strengths and talents, then expanding this to how these affect your ability to take actions and your interactions with others is a powerful next step. If you align your actions with your passions and strengths then you will find yourself in the flow of success. And if you apply your understanding of yourself to how you interact with others and better understanding them then you will be oozing with wisdom that will propel you to new heights.
How does this work?
Here is a real example. In order to protect confidentiality, I am combining examples from a couple different clients (the basis is true but the combination is fiction). Imagine you are a Manager and you receive feedback that overall your team likes working for you but they are frustrated with your lack of focus and they feel like you don’t listen to them. This shows up in feedback that you are on your phone or laptop while in meetings and asking some of the same questions repeatedly, even after they answered you. The internal wisdom part of the Manager hears this feedback and realize that his inner drive to be helpful in covering all his tasks while also supporting his team is showing up in a negative way. This could come out as a defensive response or if he pauses and considers again, he may be able to take in their perspective and shift his behavior to bring out their best. This is where a Coach is helpful to shift perspectives through asking powerful questions.
Another example of how your filters or beliefs may show up is in how you project them on to other people. If you find yourself worrying about a friend or colleague that is going through a difficult time then stop and think about if your worry is based on how you would feel in that situation. Notice this and then ask them how they are dealing with their situation in a very open and neutral way so that your own filters are not coloring your inquiry and you can stay open to support them in the best way for them.
Have fun with with programming your internalGPS and enjoy the ride to more and more wisdom!
photo credit: jimmywaynes via Flickr creative commons